“It’s one of the best places in the world to grow really big
trees,” Yoshina said.

That’s why all those roads were built. Logging peaked in the
1980s when about 400 million board feet of timber was cut
annually.

The forest shifted from logging to a “restoration phase” in the
1990s – around the time the spotted owl and marbled murrelet were
listed as endangered species.

“Now we manage for the spotted owl,” Yoshina said.

DOSEWALLIPS ROAD
Yoshina didn’t say anything definitive when chamber members asked
him whether Dosewallips Road will be fixed. A large chunk of the
road was eaten away when the Dosewallips River’s path shifted
several winters ago. The road cut off vehicle access to two popular
campgrounds.

Business owners in Brinnon and other parts of west Hood Canal
say the closure hurt their bottom lines.

“That forest service campground was absolutely critical this
area,” said a Brinnon bed & breakfast owner.

In response, Yoshina reiterated that Olympic is in an
“unfortunate situation” where it can’t keep up with basic road
maintenance, let alone tackle big reconstruction projects.

REVENUES
Yoshina said recreation fees are helping but revenues are nowhere
near the years of aggressive logging.

He said camping fees do little more than pay for campground
water and waste systems.

FIRES
Yoshina said past fire control efforts didn’t recognize that fire
can be part of a forest’s natural process. Preventing small fires
has left a lot of fuel that can make fires today “more catastrophic
and of longer durations.” He noted that climate change may also be
playing a role in making Olympic’s forests more fire-prone.

He stressed that, despite Olympic’s reputation for wetness,
serious wildfires have occurred in recent years and are likely this
summer.

He said the forest has seen no serious infestation from the pine
beetle – a major cause of increased forest fire danger in other
parts of the country.

While the accident happened in Olympic, the emergency response
fell to county authorities.

When asked what the forest service can do to prevent similar
situations, Yoshina wasn’t sure .

“Trees are always falling out there…” he said.

VISITOR TYPES
Yoshina said the east side of Olympic draws a different type of
visitor than the more remote west side. East side visitors tend to
be older, stay for shorter periods and spend more money.

“There are a lot of retiring Baby Boomers moving or visiting
here,” he said. They usually seek out scenic drives, wildlife
watching opportunities and short hikes, he said.